A Face from the Past Part 1 11am12pm
by Little Si
Summary: Another day begins as Jack Bauer attempts to thwart a band of deadly terrorists. However, his efforts are hindered when a face from his past comes back to haunt him. Be sure to read the prologue first else this will make little sense!


The following takes place  
between 11am and 12pm.  
  
Events occur in real time.  
  
11am. Los Angeles.  
  
One thing that stayed in Jack's mind as he traveled through the city was what would happen if he were to be found out. He was currently surrounded by three of the world's deadliest terrorists, men who take pleasure in watching others suffer. They torture and maim, not for information or to prove a point, but for fun. In their country they are seen as heroes, willing to stand up against the might of the US. When they kill it's like a sign of superiority, another prize to gloat about back home. They deal in drugs, arms, anything to support their bloodlust. If they knew they had a cop in their midst it would be like Xmas come early. They would be seen as gods, parading through town, wielding the dead body of a federal agent as their trophy. Both Jack and Tony knew of the risks when they signed on for this assignment, they'd seen what this group could do, how far they would go. They'd already endangered thousands of lives having obtained a large amount of explosives from domestic terrorist networks with similar concerns. Luckily, the intelligence services had acted quickly, but now these people were planning something big, buying up support and weapons wherever they could get it. They were perceived as a huge threat to national security, to be stopped at any cost. The most shocking revelation had come when it turned out they were being supported by an as of yet unknown group of ex - special forces servicemen. Some local band of mercenaries, men who claimed to be 'patriots.' Jack had seen their kind before; they were deluded, and very dangerous. It had been fairly simple infiltrating the group; these men were careless, allowing their reputation to keep their enemies at bay. They had established a fairly large group of American supporters since they first entered the country, people who saw their cause as a chance to make it big. A chance at recognition, and to make more money than they had ever dreamed of. It seemed to be enough to blind them from the truth, from the death and destruction that threatened to tear the country apart. Most of these people were petty criminals, men and women who had already been perverted, fresh for molding. The perfect candidates in the terrorist's eyes, people with aggression and rage that could be channeled to benefit them. Jack had spent a month undercover with these kinds of people, earning their trust, learning to act and think like them, before getting these guys attention. To them Jack was a cut above the rest, a man with military experience, a trained fighter, not just the usual gung - ho teenagers and gang - members. They saw him as someone they could use, and now, here he was. Speeding down the 105 in the back of a transit van, loaded with guns and explosives. Hunched over in front of Jack was the most violent member of the group, Amarjit. Nothing gave him greater pleasure than the thrill of battle, of watching people falling dead in front of you, the feel of a gun emptying it's magazine into your enemies. He was reckless, out of control, the first to start a firefight. He definitely scared Jack the most. On Amarjit's left was the thinker of the group. Humser. He was much more calculating and an expert with explosives. Next to Jack is Gutierrez, he was Colombian, and the leader of many rebel groups currently in operation down there. He is primarily in charge of smuggling both guns and coke. He helped get the explosives in and out of the country. It was frightening how many contacts he had based in and around the US who supported and financed his actions. Finally, in the driver's seat, sat Alex Wilford, Jack's friend and ally. He had inserted himself into the group roughly two weeks after Jack. Jack thought briefly of his daughter Kim, and he realized how much he missed her. She had recently applied for a post at CTU having finished a degree in computer programming. She had picked it up surprisingly quickly and had really worked hard at it to finish the course. Because of his work, Jack had not seen her lately, and now he was in so deep, he very rarely had any contact with the outside world. He kept telling himself that she was a grown woman and could support herself, but the reality was that both of them had never fully recovered from the loss of Teri. They both needed to be there for each other, having been through so much over the last few years. Just then, Jack had an almost overwhelming urge to see her again; to him she was still the young scared teenager, on the run from Ira Gaines. He tried to stop himself from going back down that road, from reliving that nightmare he'd spent so long trying to erase, but it never truly went away. He was now determined more than ever to complete this assignment, so he could see Kim again, and give their relationship the time it needed to heal fully. "Jack!" Gutierrez was talking to him. Jack blanks any thoughts of Kim and CTU out of his head, and quickly becomes alert. "Yeah?" "We're here."  
  
11:05  
  
For the first time, Jack became aware that the van had stopped. They were parked up in an industrial park somewhere just outside of the city. Amarjit and Humser pile out quickly and efficiently, throwing Jack a cursory glance. "Get your head together!" Gutierrez growls. Jack curses himself silently for allowing himself to lose focus and gets out of the van: "Sorry." He sees Alex look over as he steps out of the van, masking his concern. Jack sets his mind on what exactly they are doing here: meeting for the first time with key members of the mercenary group. His goal now is to find out who their leader is and what plans they have made with the terrorist's. He knows Tony and other CTU personnel aren't too far away, the trackers he and Alex both have implanted in their wristwatches take care of that. However, if something goes wrong, it is unlikely that CTU could mobilize in time to do anything. Cautiously, Jack follows Gutierrez into one of the large warehouses on the estate...  
  
11:07. Counter Terrorist Unit.  
  
Special Agent in charge Tony Almeida, crosses the main floor and approaches agent Russell. He and Russell have been heading up surveillance on the group with which Jack was currently undercover. Russell has been with CTU for just over a year now and has more than proved himself both working intelligence and out in the field, providing back-up for Jack on more than one occasion. Tony asks for a sit ref and Russell informs him that Jack and the others have just stopped at the industrial park. They are now entering warehouse no. 4. Tony asks for the location of the field team tracking Jack and is told that they are in the process of setting up a perimeter around the site. He calls Michelle Dessler, who is second in command, and requests both satellite and infrared on the estate as soon as she can get it. Tony and Michelle have been dating for a while now but have decided, for the moment, to keep it secret from their work colleagues. If possible they intend to keep their professional life and their personal ones separate as long as they can. Michelle tells Tony that Ryan Chappelle should be there in about 10 minutes. He had been wary of Jack and Tony's plan from the start, adamant that it was much too risky to put in to action but they had managed to assure him that they could pull it off. He finally greenlit the action provided he be allowed to watch over them every step of the way. Neither Jack nor Tony liked the idea; Chappelle had spent far too long pushing pencils with no idea of the kind of things that are sometimes necessary in the real world. As far as they could see he would only hinder the operation, and he was hardly the biggest fan of the two of them. They had both defied his authority several times, Tony actually assaulting him on one occasion before blackmailing him into granting full immunity. Chappelle wanted results, and he wanted those results to be gotten under the strictest standards of procedure. Under the circumstances, neither Jack nor Tony had a choice but to work with him.  
  
11:09  
  
Jack and the others check the warehouse carefully; it was rare for the terrorists to expose themselves like this, this meeting must be pretty important. Suddenly, Amarjit turns to Jack and asks him to step outside; he doesn't want him privy to the meeting. Jack is surprised, he knew Amarjit wasn't the biggest fan of foreign help but he had trusted Jack up till now with a lot of sensitive information. Jack looks to Humser for reassurance, but he remains steadfast, emotionless. Thoughts begin to race through Jack's mind, had they made him? Why wasn't Alex being asked to step outside as well? Was there even a meeting scheduled or was it all a ruse to get him here alone? He doesn't want to show the terrorists that he is overly concerned so Jack reluctantly obliges, and makes his way to the exit.  
  
11:10  
  
Alex watches Jack go, he too is having similar thoughts but doesn't want to raise any alarms with the terrorists so stays quiet. Just then, one of the rear doors swings open and four armed men in combat gear enter the warehouse. They are all carrying assault rifles. One of the men approaches the terrorists while the others stay put by the exit, ready for action. The man identifies himself as Sgt. Lawrence. He asks for the leader of the group to step forward. After a pause, Humser approaches the sergeant. Sgt. Lawrence hands him a cell phone. Warily, Humser listens. A gruff voice on the other end tells him that he is waiting just outside the estate. Two of the terrorists are to go with Lawrence to meet him but the others have to stay with the remaining soldiers as insurance. Humser does not like the idea of being mucked about like this and refuses, threatening to leave, until the voice on the phone calmly tells him to reconsider the importance of what is about to go down. He describes it as their 'holy mission.' Humser looks to the other men, then he takes Amarjit and tells the others to stay put.  
  
11:12  
  
Jack waits nervously by the van; whatever went down he just hoped Alex could look after himself. The guy was a capable field agent but he knew that he also had a habit of making the wrong decisions, rash decisions that could get people killed. However, so far, he'd handled himself well while undercover with these guys. Suddenly, he thinks, what if his cover has been blown? What if they are interrogating him right now? He tries not to think about it, it's more important than ever right now that he stay in play. He has to wait this one out. As Jack thinks this, two armed mercenaries approach with rifles pointed at his head, demanding to know who he is. Jack holds up his hands and calmly tells them that he is with the terrorists. They ask for his name, Humser has not informed them that there would be others present. Jack tells them: "Jack Bauer." This seems to ring a bell with the men, who immediately radio it in to someone. Jack watches intently. He doesn't recognize these guys but so far it seems like the meeting is legit. Time to find out who these people are. Without warning, the soldier spins around and thrusts the butt of his gun into Jack's stomach, winding him instantly. Jack drops to his knees, gasping for air. The other grabs him and drags him over to the warehouse, bursting into the main loading dock where Alex and Gutierrez are waiting. They cast Jack to the floor and begin to angrily accuse Gutierrez. Alex is horrified but determined to keep a steady head. He knows CTU is nearby. Whether they can save him and Jack if this thing goes to shit is another matter.  
  
11:13  
  
Agent Russell rushes up to Tony's office, where he is currently on the phone to Chappelle. "I'll get back to you Ryan." Tony hangs up and Russell tells him that according to their surveillance teams two armed men just assaulted Jack and led him into the warehouse alone. Humser and Amarjit left with some other men in a Humvee and Alex's status at this point is unknown. Tony is immediately concerned, he tells Russell to ensure they have people tailing Amarjit and Humser and to have SWAT teams standing by, ready to enter the warehouse if their agents are in trouble. However, they are only to go in on his signal. Russell leaves to take care of it and Tony pounds the desk in frustration. "Dammit!" Chappelle is going to have a field day. They cannot afford to blow this mission now....  
  
11:14:56 11:14:57 11:14:58......  
  
11:18:48 11:18:49 11:18: 50 11:18:51.....  
  
Things are not looking good over at the warehouse; Jack lies on the floor, watching, as Gutierrez, Alex, and the soldiers remain poised in a standoff, all of them ready to blow. They are seconds from pulling the trigger. What the hell had gone wrong? Gutierrez demands that the mercenaries' leader come here, along with Humser and Amarjit, insisting that Jack is with them and assuming that his other comrades are also in danger. The soldiers stay silent, telling him that they are waiting for their boss to call.  
  
11:19  
  
Sgt. Lawrence pulls up outside a seemingly abandoned construction site not far from the industrial estate. He leads Amarjit and Humser towards the site office. Amarjit leans in close to Humser. "I do not trust these men, they have been using us from the start." "Neither do I but we need them for the plan to work, just stay calm and let me handle this." They enter the office and are confronted with the mercenaries' leader...  
  
Meanwhile, back at the warehouse, the tension continues to grow. Gutierrez is furious. Just then, the soldier's cell rings. He answers it. There is a pause, then, he throws the phone to Gutierrez. "Our boss would like a word with you." Keeping his gun trained on the soldiers, Gutierrez puts the phone to his ear. The voice on the other end is distorted. "Drop the guns or I will kill your two friends." Back at the construction site, Amarjit and Humser are on their knees at gunpoint, hands on their head. Amarjit is real pissed off. Gutierrez knows he doesn't have a choice and reluctantly lowers his gun, telling Alex to do the same. The second they are on the floor, the soldiers rush forward and restrain them. They say that their boss will join them in 5 minutes. Jack is separated from the other two and cuffed to a pipe on the far wall.  
  
11:21  
  
Tony is looking at satellite images of the industrial site and surrounding area. He is briefed by Russell who tells him that Humser and Amarjit were followed to an old construction site nearby and that as far as the on-site team can tell Jack is still being held inside the warehouse. They estimate there are at least 7 bodies inside, including Jack and Alex. He says SWAT is standing by. As Tony listens, he looks over the top of the computer monitor in time to see Ryan Chappelle enter CTU with a team of agents from division. Tony tells Russell to keep him updated and heads over to Chappelle. "Good morning sir." Chappelle wastes no time, asking for an update immediately. Tony can see he's not in the mood for any shit today, which is bad, as there seems to be a lot coming their way. Tony tells him that both Jack and Alex went to the meeting with the American soldiers as planned but now it seems like Jack has been taken hostage and two of the terrorists are being moved by the mercenaries. Ryan is not happy; he reminds Tony that he assured him this thing would work flawlessly. He and the rest of Division have had enough of CTU's irrational behaviour and are on the verge of shutting the branch down, reassigning Tony, and the rest of his staff. Tony tries to tell him they are on top of things, that they have a team of men ready to go in if needs be. Chappelle considers this, then gives Tony an ultimatum. If he cannot deliver these terrorists as promised, along with their connections, both foreign and domestic, then he will take the case. The undercover operation will be scrapped and they will pick up the terrorists straight away, choosing to deal with them at CTU. Tony knows that this undercover op is the only way to bring these guys down but Chappelle is insistent, he tells Tony he is lucky to still have a job after his assault on him last year while they were preparing for war. Chappelle leaves to call Division and tells his agents to start setting up. Michelle goes over to Tony to ask what's going on, he tells her Chappelle isn't happy and asks that she get ahold of the President, they may need his support on this.. Before she leaves, Russell calls the two over. He tells them that Humser and Amarjit are being escorted back to the estate at gunpoint, also, he has started to run ID scans using the surveillance shots of the soldiers that they have obtained so far....  
  
11:24  
  
The soldiers keep a close eye on Jack as they await their boss's arrival. Jack and Alex are still trying to figure out what the hell is going on. Outside, the rest of the mercenaries pull up with Humser and Amarjit as hostages. Next to the driver is another soldier wearing a balaclava. He surveys the estate carefully as his men take the two terrorists inside.  
  
Counter Terrorist Unit:  
  
Tony and Russell are alerted to the mercenaries' arrival and Russell immediately opens up the surveillance feed from the estate on his computer. Tony tells him to patch him into the field units radio frequency over the phone so he can coordinate with them directly. He lifts the phone to his ear and tells the men to standby. He stares intently at the video feed, watching as the soldiers make their way into the warehouse. He checks with his men that the perimeter is secure.  
  
11:25  
  
Inside the warehouse, the soldiers snap to attention as the door bursts open and the rest of the mercenaries swarm in, led by the masked man, who immediately clocks Jack. They make eye contact for a second, something hits Jack. He knows this man. Humser and Amarjit are bustled inside, hands taped behind them. Gutierrez shouts at the men but is kicked roughly in the stomach and ordered to be quiet. Then, the team leader turns to Sgt. Lawrence and tells him that it is likely the estate is crawling with federal agents. Lawrence and the others are shocked but the leader reminds him they have a contingency plan and that this does not stop anything. By now Alex has registered that there is something familiar about this man. Suddenly, the leader turns, approaches Alex, and hits him full force in the side of the head. Alex goes down and Jack tries to move, forgetting his restraints. One of his guards backhands him. Amarjit tries to use the commotion as a window, lashing out at the soldiers who knock him down with ease. As he falls, he upsets a cart loaded with tools, spilling them onto the floor. Humser shouts for him to stay calm as the soldiers try to keep him still. Amarjit writhes around on the floor, palming a screwdriver out of sight of his captors. They bring him back up onto his knees and get him quiet, placing a gun barrel at his temple.  
  
Over at CTU, Tony is told over the phone that SWAT are ready to move in. He tells them to stay put for now.  
  
At the warehouse, the mercenary leader pulls Alex to his feet and throws him to two of the soldiers. He says that they will deal with him separately. He then turns and heads menacingly towards Jack, kneeling in front of him. "Hi Jack." Jack is silent, stunned. He knows now for certain who this man is. The leader pulls off his balaclava...it is Dean Slater! "You sonofabitch!" Jack spits in his face. Dean scoffs. Jack tries to get under his skin, the man is supporting enemies of the US, the type of men he and Jack worked together to stop all those years ago. He is a traitor, not a patriot! Dean simply smiles, telling Jack that the American government is the only real threat to this country, they must be taught a lesson. Jack can't believe what he's hearing. Dean stands, grabs his watch and tells his men to do the same with Alex. As they do this, Lawrence rushes over to say they are ready to go. Dean throws the watch to the floor and crushes it under his boot, telling his men to move out.  
  
Counter Terrorist Unit:  
  
Russell is confused, both transponder signals just went dead! Tony tells SWAT to storm the warehouse immediately. They move forward, heading for the building, snipers covering the exits. Tony watches on the monitor intently.  
  
BOOM! Out of nowhere, the warehouse erupts into a ball of flame, sending the SWAT team ducking for cover, and tearing the building apart! Tony is shocked!  
  
11:27:49 11:27:50 11:27:51....  
  
11:31:30 11:31:31 11:31:32 11:31:33....  
  
By now, the industrial estate is crawling with agents and other CTU personnel. The SWAT team have made their way inside the destroyed warehouse and are searching frantically among the rubble for Jack and the terrorists. Fire teams are en route. Tony listens over the radio as the men search. They finish the sweep and, confused, inform Tony that they haven't been able to find a single body, yet the perimeter of the estate has been locked down. The hostiles have disappeared. Tony tells the strike leader that Russell will try to access satellite playback to determine where they went. Also, they will go over the schematics again to make sure there's nothing they missed. Before he can hang up, another agent at the warehouse comes on the line to tell him that they found an access hatch to what looks like some kind of drainage tunnel that runs under the estate. It appears to be new, suggesting it was installed recently, and has not yet been added to the schematics. Tony tells the leader to take some men and sweep the tunnel. Then, he hangs up, ordering Russell to find out where the tunnel leads.  
  
11:32  
  
Meanwhile, Dean is leading his men and their hostages through the tunnel. Lawrence informs him that they are 100 metres away from the nearest maintenance hatch that will lead them out onto the street, two blocks away from the estate. Their transport is waiting for them there.  
  
11:33  
  
Counter Terrorist Unit  
  
Chappelle is in the middle of lecturing Tony when Russell calls him over. He has pulled up a list of various maintenance exits positioned along the tunnel, all leading out onto the street. Tony dispatches his agents to the nearest one. He also orders Russell to get a helo in the air to look for the mercenaries.  
  
11:34  
  
Dean and his men exit onto a small sidestreet adjacent to the freeway Jack was on earlier. Waiting for them, are two military style trucks, loaded with five more mercenaries. As soon as they see Dean heading towards them, they open the back of the trucks for the hostages. Alex is hauled in first. However, as Amarjit is pushed forward, he deftly cuts his bonds with the screwdriver, and jams it into his guard's throat, before lunging for another soldier and grabbing his gun. The others all raise their weapons as Amarjit headbutts the soldier, spins, and drops to his knees firing, sending the men sprawling for cover. One is cut down straight away. Dean takes Jack down with him as he hits the deck to avoid the hail of bullets. Amarjit leaps back onto his feet, and, still firing, makes for the cover of a wrecked car nearby. He dives behind the trunk as gunfire ricochets off the charred chassis. Trying to help his friend, Gutierrez hurls himself into a firing soldier, knocking him over. Dean is up on his feet by now and makes straight for Gutierrez, hitting him over the head with his rifle. Just then, Amarjit breaks cover and opens fire again. Dean throws the dazed Gutierrez to one side and shouts for the men to get him on the truck. One soldier makes to comply but is hit in the leg. Dean ducks behind one of the trucks, where a guard is keeping Humser restrained. Two more men grab Gutierrez and put him onboard. Dean tells them to go. Aware that the men are distracted, Jack, still on the floor, slides his cuffed hands down his legs, under his feet, and brings them up in front of him. He makes to stand. Dean advances on Amarjit's position, pinning him down. He repeats his instructions to the truck driver, telling him to go. He knows CTU is close and the gunfire will have attracted them. With Dean providing cover fire, Humser is pushed in with Gutierrez and the wounded soldier. Out of nowhere, Jack brings his fists down hard onto the back of one of the men, and grabs his pistol from his holster, putting it to his temple, and placing his still cuffed hands over his head, to keep him still. He knows that CTU is close and is trying to buy time. He shouts to Dean to drop his weapon and to tell his men to do the same. Amarjit uses this as a window and pops another soldier, but Dean acts instantly and empties his chamber neatly into Amarjit's chest. Jack's captive flings his head back into Jack's, dazing him, in an attempt to overpower him. Unfortunately for him, as he makes his move, Jack looses off a shot which strikes him in the head. Jack falls, firing at Dean as the first truck speeds off. Dean rolls behind the truck containing Alex as two of the mercenaries rush Jack, telling him to hold his fire. Jack knows it is useless to resist and drops his gun. The men go to grab him, but without warning, two shots ring out, dropping the soldiers. Then, they hear sirens, a police helo sweeps overhead and three CTU SUV's speed around the corner and make for the mercenaries. Dean jumps into the passenger side of the truck and the driver floors it. While two CTU cars head off in pursuit, one stops to collect Jack...  
  
The CTU agents radio in to tell Tony that they have Jack plus 6 bodies. They are in pursuit of the mercenaries now. Chappelle snaps at Tony, this operation was supposed to be discreet, now they've got 6 dead bodies to deal with, following a gunfight that took place in open ground right next to the freeway, and agents currently pursuing the mercenaries through LA. Tony angrily tells him to back off and let him handle the situation instead of wasting time shouting at him. Chappelle tells Tony he is calling Division to recommend he be relieved of his command. He heads off as Tony fumes. Finally, Tony calls Michelle and tells her to commandeer the CTU chopper, he's heading over to the estate to manage the situation...  
  
11:37:04 11:37:05 11:37:06....  
  
11:40:57 11:40:58 11:40:59 11:41:00...  
  
Whilst Tony is preparing to leave up in his office, Russell is told that the field agents lost the mercenaries' truck a couple of minutes ago. He calls Tony to let him know. Tony orders him to try and pick the truck up using satellite and tells him that Michelle will be taking over for the next couple of hours while he heads off-site. Russell warns him that Chappelle will not be happy, but at the moment, that is the least of Tony's concerns. He hangs up and heads outside to the waiting chopper.  
  
Chappelle finishes his call to Division just in time to see Tony exiting the building. He goes after him but is too late. By the time he gets outside, the chopper has already taken off. He immediately heads back inside and tells Michelle to get Tony back now. As Michelle goes to lift the phone to call him, it rings. She answers it to discover President Palmer on the line from Washington. He is returning her call from earlier. She tells him to hold.  
  
11:42  
  
In the CTU chopper, Michelle rings Tony's cell and tells him that Chappelle is not happy with what he's doing, he tells her to keep him off his back and apologises for taking off like he did, leaving her to fend off Chappelle alone. However, he is limited as to what he can do at CTU. Right now, he needs to be in the field assisting Jack. She tells him there's no need to apologise and patches him through to the President. Tony thanks the President for getting back to him so soon and briefly outlines the operation, before describing the events of the last half hour. He warns the President that if Chappelle takes over the operation they will lose any chance they had of catching these terrorists and that right now he and Jack are their best chance of stopping these people. They have worked for almost 18 months on this operation and have collated a significant amount of intelligence in that time, making them more capable than anyone Division could assign. Palmer pauses before assuring Tony he will do what he can. Tony thanks him and hangs up.  
  
11:45  
  
Russell calls the CTU agents currently with Jack and is told that Alex has been taken hostage. Also, they found the truck the mercenaries were in, it had been abandoned. Russell asks them to put Bauer on the phone. Jack tells him everything that happened at the warehouse and tells him that Dean Slater, a man he used to work with, is the leader of the mercenary group. He still has no inclination as to what his link with the terrorists is, but tells Russell to open up his personnel file and cross-check it with everything they have gotten so far. Jack then asks to speak to Tony and is told that he is on his way. He should be there in just under 10 minutes.  
  
11:47  
  
The mercenaries have set up a portable command post in an old church, now loaded with computers and weaponry. Dean and his men pull up outside in three large Humvees. Sgt. Lawrence steps out along with Humser and Gutierrez. They are greeted by a corporal, Jake Hunt, who asks them what happened. Lawrence assures the man everything is fine and that they are continuing with the plan. He tells them to escort the two terrorists inside and to keep them restrained. Humser demands to know what they are doing, now furious following the death of Amarjit, but Lawrence remains quiet, telling him it will all be sorted in just a few minutes. He heads back to Dean who is dragging Alex out of the Hummer. Dean instructs the Sgt. to take him into the back room and get him ready....  
  
11:48:44 11:48:45 11:48:46....  
  
11:52:33 11:52:34 11:52:35 11:52:36....  
  
In the back of the church, Alex is tied down onto a table and viciously beaten by one of the mercenaries, Sgt. Lawrence and Dean watch over them. As Dean leaves he tells Lawrence to ensure that Alex does not die too soon, he wants him to suffer....He then heads into the front of the church.  
  
Dean approaches the two terrorists, who have been seated there. Neither Humser nor Gutierrez are in the mood to listen to him. He tells them that he wants to help them as they had originally agreed and asks Corporal Hunt to fetch the stuff. Humser laughs at the idea of Dean working with them after what he just did and he apologises for killing Amarjit, but states that it was necessary in order for their holy mission to succeed, they knew there would be sacrifices, and that it was unlikely they would all see it through to the end. Every war has casualties after all. This does not appease the terrorists. He then tells them that Jack Bauer was in fact working undercover with the Los Angeles Counter Terrorist Unit in an effort to undermine their cause and that is why he had to restrain them, as he didn't know how badly they had been compromised. He was also keen to ensure that CTU knew nothing of their allegiance as he knew they were watching. Taking the men hostage would trick them into thinking they were enemies. Humser and Gutierrez are reluctant to believe that one of their people was a cop until Dean asks how they think CTU knew about the meeting. He then presents them with a recent CTU personnel file on Bauer. Hunt returns with a series of papers and a case, presenting them to Dean, from which he unfolds a series of large schematics and shows them to the terrorists. They are for LA's County General Hospital. Dean then asks Hunt to open the case, revealing a large amount of military-grade plastic explosive. He tells them this is only a small sample of the amount he has at his disposal. Dean reminds the terrorists that this mission is due to be carried out in a little over 4 hours and if they still want his help with the bombing then they need to listen very carefully. His employers had put together this plan with the terrorists because they believed that aligning themselves with them would help to further both of their causes in the long run, as they have similar interests. Humser immediately grows hostile, he accuses Slater of trying to mould the terrorist's to use as they see fit but Dean assures him that this is not his intention. The mercenaries will still help them but first his employers want the data they acquired two weeks ago, the government files they seized in Colombia. Gutierrez demands to know how he found out they were in their possession in the first place and Dean smiles. He wants the terrorists to agree to a meeting with his employers. Gutierrez continues to ask questions, he wants to know what Slater wants with the files as they are encoded, thus useless. Dean simply asks again whether they will agree to the meeting, reminding them that the clock is ticking. They have to make this decision now if they still want the attack to take place today......  
  
11:55  
  
At the industrial estate, Tony's chopper lands and he gets out. He talks to the agent in charge at the scene and is told that some men from Division need to talk to him. Three other agents introduce themselves, telling Tony that they were sent by Chappelle to watch over him. Tony is angry but reluctantly concedes, telling them to stay out of his way and let him do his job. They agree merely to observe but warn him not to step out of line again or they will take action. Jack sees Tony and heads over. He explains the situation and mentions that Slater is behind it. Tony tells him that they are doing everything they can to track the mercenaries down. Jack reminds him that they have Alex as a hostage. Tony acknowledges this. Then, Jack tells him that he intends to make contact with Gutierrez's brother, Alvaro, and enlist his help to track down his brother, as well as find out what the original deal between them and the mercenaries had been. He believes that his cover with this man will still be intact as Gutierrez is Slater's hostage and is unlikely to have made contact with any of his people since they were taken. Tony is wary of the idea but agrees provided Jack have a CTU team nearby and is wearing a wire so they can listen in. Jack tells him there is no time to set up that kind of surveillance. He has to do this alone, Tony is going to have to trust him. As he considers this, an agent gives Jack a set of keys, telling him they've prepared a car like he asked, as well as a new gun and phone for him. Jack thanks him and looks to Tony. He finally agrees, but wants Jack to check in regularly. Jack assures him he will, and, thanking him, heads over to a waiting SUV and climbs inside. His gear is on the passenger seat and he takes the phone, dials, and speeds off. Tony watches him go.  
  
11:57  
  
Alvaro, Gutierrez's brother, is sitting in a seedy restaurant along with two other men. He is assuring them that his people are in place. His cell rings and he answers it, it's Jack. Alvaro demands to know what happened at the warehouse. Jack calms him down and explains that Slater betrayed them, he took Gutierrez hostage and now Jack needs his help to find them. Alvaro is suspicious, but eventually gives Jack an address where they can meet. He hangs up. The men with him question whether the meeting is a good idea, what if Bauer's lying? Alvaro has always been a lot more cautious around him than Gutierrez, what if he has betrayed them? They cannot take a risk like that with the scale of what is going down today. Alvaro tells them he can handle Bauer and asks them to call for more men.....  
  
11:59  
  
Alex is badly injured following his beating. Sgt Lawrence just laughs and spits on him as Dean enters the back room. He tells them that the terrorists have agreed to the meeting and takes out his cell phone. He then tells Lawrence to get rid of Alex for the moment, they will deal with him later. Lawrence and the man who beat Alex, lift him up and drag him out of the room.....  
  
11:59:57 11:59:58 11:59:59 12:00:00.....  
  
END. 


End file.
